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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Healthcare quality

Burnout: Measurement Tool(s), Cause(s) and Impact(s)
Reports on what is known about burnout among rural healthcare providers, highlighting several research studies. Discusses the impact of burnout on turnover, productivity, healthcare quality, and safety.
Author(s): Kay Miller Temple
Citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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Patients' Experiences in CAHs: HCAHPS Results, 2018
Provides results from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey for calendar year 2018. Summarizes reporting rates and performance among all U.S. Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Includes detailed tables that allow state-by-state comparison of response rates and overall CAH performance.
Author(s): Mariah Quick, Megan Lahr, Tongtan Chantarat, Ira Moscovice
Date: 01/2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Flex Monitoring Team
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Report to Congress: Demonstration Project on Community Health Integration Models in Certain Rural Counties - Final Report
Presents findings from the Frontier Community Health Integration Project Demonstration (FCHIP) demonstration project over the 3-year project period. Shares results for the 10 participating Critical Access Hospitals in three states: North Dakota, Montana, and Nevada. The demonstration focused on interventions addressing ambulance services, skilled nursing facility/nursing facility beds, and telehealth. Offers recommendations for legislative and administrative action.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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Critical Access Hospital Governing Board Manual: Volume III
Written with governing board members in mind, addresses several pressing issues facing Critical Access Hospital (CAH) governing boards. Builds on the material found in the Governing Board Manual: Volume I and Critical Access Hospital Governing Board Manual: Volume II, and focuses on the following topic areas: the board member's role, quality and fiduciary responsibilities, strategic and community initiatives, and the future of rural healthcare.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network
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Helping Patients Living in Rural Areas Transition from Hospital to Home - The ROADMAP Study
Evaluates a hospital discharge planning program's effectiveness in providing support to rural patients returning home after staying in a hospital. Includes patients' demographic information and compares the number of emergency department visits and rehospitalizations of the control group with those of the intervention group.
Author(s): Tom Seekins, Jennifer Wong, Lynda Yearous, et al.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
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Stem the Tide: Opioid Stewardship Measurement Implementation Guide
Identifies best practices for hospitals and health systems to use data to improve opioid stewardship. Addresses six elements that can support facilities through implementing a data-driven opioid stewardship program. Provides a list of quality improvement measures for hospitals and health systems to track progress. Highlights a consortium of providers serving rural communities across Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin focused on access to treatment and interventions that address social determinants of health.
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: American Hospital Association
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The Future of Rural Value‐Based Health Care and Surge Capacity
Describes the conflict between value-based care and surge capacity investments at rural hospitals, as well as the role of primary care providers can play during disasters. Presents questions for consideration about the future of rural value‐based care, payment, and healthcare networks and community partnerships in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Author(s): A. Clinton MacKinney
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Value
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Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice
Examines factors that influence maternal and newborn care in the United States, including social determinants such as geographic variability in access to birth settings. Explores challenges faced by women in rural and underserved areas. Includes statistics on infant mortality rates in 2014 with breakdowns by rural or urban locations, and county-level maps showing access to providers and hospitals offering obstetric services.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Children, Youth, and Families
Date: 2020
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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The VA MISSION Act of 2018: A Potential Game Changer for Rural GME Expansion and Veteran Health Care
Describes features of the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act of 2018, including expansion of graduate medical education (GME) to rural areas, modernization of facilities, and financial aid for providers willing to accept VA assignments in shortage areas. Explores ways in which the MISSION Act can promote more effective and efficient care programs for veterans in rural and underserved areas.
Author(s): Anthony P. Albanese, Edward T. Bope, Karen M. Sanders, Marjorie Bowman
Citation: Journal of Rural Health, 36(1), 133-136
Date: 2020
Type: Document
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Access, Quality, and Financial Performance of Rural Hospitals Following Health System Affiliation
Examines the impact of health system affiliation on rural hospitals' quality and financial performance, as well as patients' access to care. Compares rural hospitals affiliated with a health system between 2008-2017 with those that did not affiliate with a health system.
Author(s): Claire E. O'Hanlon, Ashley M. Kranz, Maria DeYoreo, Ammarah Mahmud, Cheryl L. Damberg, Justin W. Timbie
Citation: Health Affairs, 38(12), 2095-2104
Date: 12/2019
Type: Document
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